Last Summer I Screamed Because a Stranger Called and Told Me Halloween Would Fall on Friday the 13th
September 7th 2006 23:04
Before I launch into my tirade I have to acknowledge that there is an element of hypocrisy within this diatribe. Remake? Remake?! Why for art thou remade?!
There are exceptions to the rule. So although I am very much an adversary to this ghastly plague that is sweeping the world of horror cinema, I know can be prone to the odd infection.
In the last three years we’ve had remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974/2003), Dawn of the Dead (1978/2004), The Amityville Horror (1979/2005), The Fog (1980/2005), The Hills Have Eyes (1977/2006), When a Stranger Calls (1979/2006), The Omen (1976/2006). I was pleasantly surprised by the remakes of Texas, Dawn and Hills. I found them to be atmospheric, strikingly shot, and intensely executed. Others might beg to differ. However to further aggravate one’s sensibilities; a sequel to Hills is in production and a prequel to Texas is in production.
The remakes began way back; Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956/1978/1993), The Blob (1958/1988) and Cat People (1942/1982) to name a few, but with horror as the (blood) lust of movie audiences once again (not since the early 80s have horror flicks been so popular), it is apparent that very little is new. It is deeply disappointing, and ultimately appalling, that such terrific examples of pure, seminal, unadulterated horror are being plundered. Even worse is that the remakes – with a few exceptions – are tamer and so much more contrived than the originals. Where’s the bloody love?!
Y’know, I wouldn’t be surprised if other cult classics get done over like Phantasm (1978), Alien (1979), Piranha (1980), The Shining (1980), Scanners (1981), An American Werewolf in London (1981), My Bloody Valentine (1981), The Thing (1982), The Evil Dead (1982), Re-Animator (1985), even Return of the Living Dead (1985)! Sheeesh, if someone attempts to remake Cannibal Holocaust (1980) … I’ll eat my hat … no better still, I’ll eat my arm! Arrrrgh!!
In its own kettle of piranha is the arrogant sacrilege committed by Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson: the Scream (1996) series (the working title of which was Scary Movie). That so-called “post-modern” slasher flick and its sequels were so smug and patronising to think its filmmakers were exempt from being labeled corny, simply because of an awareness of the stalk’n’slash “code”. It’s bullshit. Ultimately they’ve slit their own throats. Sure a lot of the Generation Y thinks they’re hip, stylish and cool, but in years to come (hopefully) the movies these kids will be coming back to won’t sport the super-pretty celebrity faces with the smart-arse referential lines of dialogue and the blink-and-you’ll-miss-'em-murders. If they’ve become True Believers then they’ll be diggin’ deep for the Darkness. If you’re a horrorphile you know what I’m talking about, if you don’t, exhume some of my earlier posts and have a squizz.
Not all is lost though, there are original filmmakers out there delivering the goods, but one has to keep ones eyes peeled raw to find them.
As Max Renn in David Cronenberg’s masterpiece Videodrome (1983) states prophetically … “Long live the New Flesh!”
* the images on this page were taken from the following wikipedia pages:
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003 movie poster), Dawn of the Dead (2004 movie poster), The Hills Have Eyes (2006 movie poster).
The have been licensed from the GNU Free Document License.
There are exceptions to the rule. So although I am very much an adversary to this ghastly plague that is sweeping the world of horror cinema, I know can be prone to the odd infection.
In the last three years we’ve had remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974/2003), Dawn of the Dead (1978/2004), The Amityville Horror (1979/2005), The Fog (1980/2005), The Hills Have Eyes (1977/2006), When a Stranger Calls (1979/2006), The Omen (1976/2006). I was pleasantly surprised by the remakes of Texas, Dawn and Hills. I found them to be atmospheric, strikingly shot, and intensely executed. Others might beg to differ. However to further aggravate one’s sensibilities; a sequel to Hills is in production and a prequel to Texas is in production.
The remakes began way back; Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956/1978/1993), The Blob (1958/1988) and Cat People (1942/1982) to name a few, but with horror as the (blood) lust of movie audiences once again (not since the early 80s have horror flicks been so popular), it is apparent that very little is new. It is deeply disappointing, and ultimately appalling, that such terrific examples of pure, seminal, unadulterated horror are being plundered. Even worse is that the remakes – with a few exceptions – are tamer and so much more contrived than the originals. Where’s the bloody love?!
Y’know, I wouldn’t be surprised if other cult classics get done over like Phantasm (1978), Alien (1979), Piranha (1980), The Shining (1980), Scanners (1981), An American Werewolf in London (1981), My Bloody Valentine (1981), The Thing (1982), The Evil Dead (1982), Re-Animator (1985), even Return of the Living Dead (1985)! Sheeesh, if someone attempts to remake Cannibal Holocaust (1980) … I’ll eat my hat … no better still, I’ll eat my arm! Arrrrgh!!
In its own kettle of piranha is the arrogant sacrilege committed by Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson: the Scream (1996) series (the working title of which was Scary Movie). That so-called “post-modern” slasher flick and its sequels were so smug and patronising to think its filmmakers were exempt from being labeled corny, simply because of an awareness of the stalk’n’slash “code”. It’s bullshit. Ultimately they’ve slit their own throats. Sure a lot of the Generation Y thinks they’re hip, stylish and cool, but in years to come (hopefully) the movies these kids will be coming back to won’t sport the super-pretty celebrity faces with the smart-arse referential lines of dialogue and the blink-and-you’ll-miss-'em-murders. If they’ve become True Believers then they’ll be diggin’ deep for the Darkness. If you’re a horrorphile you know what I’m talking about, if you don’t, exhume some of my earlier posts and have a squizz.
Not all is lost though, there are original filmmakers out there delivering the goods, but one has to keep ones eyes peeled raw to find them.
As Max Renn in David Cronenberg’s masterpiece Videodrome (1983) states prophetically … “Long live the New Flesh!”
* the images on this page were taken from the following wikipedia pages:
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003 movie poster), Dawn of the Dead (2004 movie poster), The Hills Have Eyes (2006 movie poster).
The have been licensed from the GNU Free Document License.
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Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
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Techbreak
I really hope they stop with the remakes.
It'll never stop, though. The studios know they'll sell tickets to remakes.
Please leave Alien alone.
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
I agree with you about the remake of Dawn of the Dead though. Very cleverly re-interpreted.
That they're remaking Day of the Dead though is not good. Not good at all. There is no way they could better the intensity of Romero's original.